Freeborn human, Nalia Gaborn, never expected that she'd have to choose between her liberty and her best friend's life. But when their ship comes under attack and they’re rescued by a Talin named Derani, she isn’t given much room to negotiate. Either she agrees to become Derani’s pet or she and Hax will be turned over to the Hamlershin and face possible execution for smuggling. She agrees to Derani’s demands. Resigned to slavery for however long it takes before she can escape, she expects to be abused and worked half to death. To her shock, that doesn’t happen. She finds herself being spoiled by Derani and coddled by his crew. It’s not long before she realizes that this life isn’t about servitude and labor, but about affection and adoration. As she learns more about the Talins, she starts to understand why they keep humans as pets. She also comes to care for this species in general, and Derani specifically. It’s not long before she contemplates settling into this life and not trying to escape. But soon she and Derani are embroiled in more than simply transporting goods along trade routes. Derani is contacted in secret to help transport a courier carrying secret information. It’s supposed to be a simple task; give passage to this Talin courier from one place to another. But it’s not long until things go wrong and Nalia’s going to face another hard choice: stay and help or make a break for freedom? The choice ends up being an easy one for Nalia to make, but will she survive it? (Update: 2021-12-17)